Computer Science at Amherst College

Amherst's computer science graduates earn $100,596 within a year—a figure that crushes the national median by 42% but tells a more nuanced story within Massachusetts. While this places Amherst in the top 5% of CS programs nationwide, it lands squarely in the middle when compared to Bay State peers, where tech-focused institutions dominate the upper tier. The debt picture, however, is exceptional: at $16,750, graduates carry roughly 30% less debt than both state and national medians, resulting in a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.17—meaning less than two months of salary to clear student loans.

The caveat here matters: with fewer than 30 graduates in the sample, these numbers could shift significantly year to year. That said, the combination of Amherst's elite liberal arts education and relatively low debt burden suggests the program delivers solid financial outcomes without the crushing debt load often seen at peer institutions. The earnings gap between Amherst and top Massachusetts tech schools like MIT or Harvard is substantial—about $50,000—but you're also looking at dramatically different educational experiences and career trajectories.

For a family choosing between Amherst's intimate CS program and a larger tech-focused university, the trade-off is clear: you sacrifice some first-year earning power for a broader liberal arts foundation and manageable debt. If your child thrives in small seminars and values interdisciplinary thinking, the financial difference may be worth it.